This was our first experience in the Colville National Forest, and it truly was a great one. There were two adults and a dog in our hiking group. We rented out the cabin on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend for a quick overnight trip. We arrived at the trail just before 1pm on Sunday, which was later than we were intending, but it was about a 4 hour drive to the trail from Pullman. The first mile to the intersection went by very quickly. We even had a close encounter with a very large doe, but once she realized we were there she darted off. At the intersection we decided to go right along the Sherman Loop Trail. Once we intersected again a few miles later, we stayed to the right/straight heading towards the cabin. The elevation gain throughout the entire trail is pretty gentle and the views were beautiful. We did not notice the last spring that was mentioned in the description as we came up to the cabin, but that very well could just be the fact we missed it. We had brought plenty of water with us, so this was not a concern. Weather wise, we didn't pick the best day. Most of the hike was spent hiking though hail, rain, and a thunderstorm, but once we made it to the cabin it started clearing up. The cabin is absolutely darling and we definitely enjoyed our stay. I highly recommend renting the cabin, we would love to come back here again! We ended up leaving the cabin around 9:30am on Monday morning and made it back to our car by 11:30am.

Starting from Sherman Pass and after heading out on the Sherman Peak Loop, I went off trail up Snow Peak from its North ridge, avoiding snow due to it being overly soft. Nice meadows and views at the top of Snow Peak. Found that descending the grass slope on the West side of Snow Peak was quite a bit easier going than the North Ridge. White Mountain had decent views as well, especially from the ridge before the summit (particularly of Barnaby Buttes). I thought the short side trip up Barnaby Buttes on the way back was worth it, beautiful open grass slopes. As for trail conditions, the Sherman Peak loop has only a few snow patches left and some minor fallen trees, all easy to pass. South of the loop there are quite a few more blowdowns, but still none difficult to pass. The trail is well defined and most trail junctions are well-signed. Saw only three people, by chance all of them south of the loop.

Had a great trip! A bit dusty and smoky but the views made up for it all. Cabin was very nice and water filtered from the spring was great. Cots, chairs, stove, in great condition and lots of firewood. Too bad we couldn't have a fire, maybe next time. Numerous grouse, & a deer on the trail and chipmunks all around the cabin. Would love to reserve it in the winter sometime.

Some friends from the Spokane Mountaineers reserved the Snow Peak Cabin without even realizing that the visit would coincide with the full moon. It was a lucky coincidence that it did, and even luckier that the rain/snow/sleet that has been hitting the area lately took a night's break for our visit. And I was lucky that they had enough room for me to join in on the fun! Snow levels are still no where near where they should be, but at some point on either Sunday or Monday it did snow a little bit on the Kettle Crest. We had untracked sparkly snow for the trek in. The hike in was difficult due to a crust under the fresh snow, which occasionally threatened to turn ankles. The views more than made up for any discomfort, however. We arrived at the cabin a little before dark, and by the time we got the place warmed up and made our dinner, the moon was up over Snow Peak. We took a post-dinner hike to a high-point we jokingly called "outhouse hill" where we could see in all directions. We could pick out Republic's lights glowing beneath the cloud-cover in the valley to the west. Nearby visible peaks included Barnaby Buttes, Bald Mountain, Edds Mountain, Snow Peak, Mount Washington, Sherman Peak, and Columbia Mountain. I had walked by the cabin dozens of times during other treks on the Kettle Crest, but this was my first stay. The cabin is available for rent through recreation.gov, and I hear that the weekends are booked far in advance. It was perfect for our quick mid-week overnight and stargazing. It is stocked with five cots, some old therm-a-rests, a wood stove, pots & pans, mugs & bowls, and utensils. It has a propane stove for cooking and a woodstove for heating, plus a solar panel on the roof powers some interior lights. The visitor log book is an entertaining read, and there are assorted games stocked in a bin beneath one of the cots, but nocturnal photography kept me very entertained during our group's visit.

Perfect weather, not too hot or cold. Wildflowers were abloom with great views. Multiple large blowdowns but not too difficult. The spring at the base of the cabin was flowing freely. Still a small amount of snow in various places. Mice RULE the cabin. They kept us up most of the 1st night. In addition the stove works good. Too good. It can get pretty dang warm in there.